Tonga will mark Autism Day on Sunday

Tonga will join the rest of the World in marking April 2nd as Autism Day with a special Prayer Service, at the Mango Tree Centre in Houmakelikao.

Families and friends of the 16 children diagnosed with Autism in the Kingdom will be the honored guests at this prayer service organized exclusively for them, and will be attended by the supporters of Autism Tonga.

In Tonga, many people are now aware of Autism but few understand what it means to live with autism, and that lack of understanding hampers the inclusion of these children into society.

To overcome that obstacle, mothers and families of children with autism voluntarily formed Autism Tonga in 2013 with the aim of raising awareness in Tonga, for people to understand autism, to accept and respect the rights of those with autism, and never to discriminate them in the society.

Former UN Secretary – Ban ki Moon’s message last year highlighted that while persons with autism naturally have a wide range of abilities and different areas of interest, they all share the capacity for making our world a better place.

The Secretary General pointed out that to avoid people with autism, is a violation of human rights and a waste of human potential.

A person with autism will have difficulty speaking, sometimes lack spoken vocabularies and can individually have their own unique sensory problems.

Autism Tonga deeply appreciates the commitment, determination and collaboration that made the awareness day a success, which includes families of children living with autism.

The Mango Tree Centre and all loyal supporters who have joined Autism Tonga in combating the impediments that continues to hinder our efforts to enrich the lives of those who live with autism.